Fantasist Enterprises

I first met Lawrence C. Connolly a few years back when I was working on earning my MA in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University. Mr. Connolly was a lecturer and faculty mentor. At my first on-campus residency, I didn’t really know what to expect.

By the end of my first class with Mr. Connolly, I knew I was in the right place. In those days, he was concluding his lectures with a powerful mini-story about early man sitting around campfires, possibly in caves, telling each other stories of great adventure and fantasy to stave off the cold and the fear of the unknown. His voice would take on a hypnotic cadence as he described the scene, slowly growing louder and more forceful as he built the drama of storytelling. Then, when everyone was spellbound, he would conclude by linking us, the humble students, to that tradition. Everyone left the room inspired and ready to write.

Now I have the pleasure of announcing the release of Voices: Tales of Horror, Mr. Connolly’s latest collection of short stories. Eleven of the tales were previously published in some of the top speculative fiction publications. Mr. Connolly took the extra time to polish them like never before—these are the definitive versions of classics. In addition, we have two new stories, “Junk’d,” about a kid who falls into a deadly prank, and “Shrines,” about a man on the edge of life, seeking peace, who finds himself a pawn in a game of mystical intrigue.

Mr. Connolly has included essays before and after each story, discussing the inspiration and processes behind the tales, putting each of them into perspective. It’s also a joy to be able to include spectacular artwork by World Fantasy Award nominee Jason Zerrillo, whose illustrations bring out the heart and soul of the stories.